Hurriyat seeks Ram’s opinion on passport

Ram Jethmalani, who is already under fire from rightist groups for rising in defence of those convicted in the Parliament attack case, has a similar job on his hands.

In spite of being the Kashmir Committee chairman, he is advising the Hurriyat Conference on how to contest the Centre’s order of impounding the passport of its former chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.

Hurriyat Conference spokesman Shabbir Dar told The Indian Express that though Mirwaiz has decided to appeal against the order within the stipulated time (eight weeks), the Hurriyat leaders have consulted Jethmalani as he was their ‘‘most reliable benefactor’’.

He said Mirwaiz was due to leave for the US for a reception to be hosted by his wife’s family. ‘‘I wish the Government had stopped him when he was leaving on a political mission but it was done in bad taste since he was going on a private visit.’’